


Fraternal

by Razorling



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Brothers, Family, Family Feels, Gen, Hobbit Culture & Customs, Pre-Canon, Prologue, Training, pre-adventure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razorling/pseuds/Razorling
Summary: His lovely, beautiful, reckless and brave wife, former Belladonna Took and now Baggins, in a sunny morning day of summer, gave birth to twins, two little yet vigorous fauntlings, she named the eldest, the one with her blond hair and his blue eyes, Bilbo and the youngest, barely bald, but clearly a brunette, with his hair and her green eyes, Billow.And so their story begin.
Relationships: Bungo Baggins/Belladonna Took
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Fraternal

**Author's Note:**

> So... I have this story gathering dust in my drive for a few years and despite finished (kinda) it's before the adventure itself, more like how was the life of Bilbo and Billow until the dwarves arrived, probably I'll never continue, but I find it cute and love it nonetheless. If anyone want to adopt it and write a sequel, please feel free to do so, I would love to read it!
> 
> My idea of pairins was Bilbo/Thorin because I'm a sucker for them and Billow/Dwalin because Billow is a weapon's freak and they would get along like a house on fire lol if you know, anyone wondered haha!

His lovely, beautiful, reckless and brave wife, former Belladonna Took and now Baggins, in a sunny morning day of summer, gave birth to twins, two little yet vigorous fauntlings, she named the eldest, the one with her blond hair and his blue eyes, Bilbo and the youngest, barely bald, but clearly a brunette, with his hair and her green eyes, Billow.

And like that she kissed them both and Bungo one last time, to close her eyes tiredly with a peaceful smile to never open them again.

~¤~

The beginning was hard, terribly so. Bungo missed his wife something fierce and he was sure, if not for the little two presents his wife had left with him before passing he would have faded, just like most have after losing their fated ones.

But his two little sons wouldn't let him go so soon, oh no they wouldn't! They were energetic and loud and demanding,  _ very demanding _ . 

He had help of course, both the Baggins and Tooks came immediately after hearing the news, Bella’s mother, Adamanta was the one to hold her daughter's funeral, Bungo too broken to be able to do anything besides clinging to his sons like a lifeline. He felt both thankful and ashamed, she was her mother, she didn't deserve to go through this, yet for what she did he was forever grateful and she never ever used it against him, even if they didn’t see eye to eye most of the time.

He still stayed in Bag End, kindly refusing all the offers made for him to move back to the great smials, be them from the Tooks or the Baggins. He missed his wife, every corner of that house made him remember her somehow, but despite the pain, that was fine, he didn't  _ want _ to forget. 

Belba and Linda, his two favorite sisters helped him a great deal in the beginning, helping him feed his two newborn sons, teaching him how to change their diapers and so on, his other siblings helped as well of course, as so did Bella’s own, but his two sisters basically started to live with him, coming everyday by morning and only leaving at dawn, in the first few months even sleeping there and only going back when he basically kicked them out saying he was going to be fine, their husbands coming through the day with food and helping out as well as best as they could, it wasn't surprising they soon became Bilbo and Billow’s favorite aunts and uncles and neither was shy enough to  _ not _ gloat about it.

Time passed, the pain dulled, mostly thanks to his bright beloved sons and his and Bella’s loving family and so life went on.

~¤~

Bilbo and Billow grew up hearing everything Bungo could tell them about their mother, all the adventures she had, the orcs she fought with and slayed, the eagles she flew with, the foreign cities she visited and her trusty wizard companion. It was against everything the Shire deemed respectable, and once, against everything Bungo believed, but Bella has changed his mind about many things throughout the years they spent together and opened his eyes to others. He didn't want his sons to not know who his mother truly was, how beautiful she was with a sword in her hip and the wind in her hair, going looking for trouble and more often than not finding it, only to be back with a story to tell, a present to give and a blinding smile that stole Bungo’s heart and breath away.

As expected they grew up bringing trouble and disaster whatever they little legs carried them, but for some reason nobody in the Shire was able to be angry with the two little mischievous brothers for very long, with their puppy eyes and bright smiles, and most of the times they escaped with a few scowls and lengthy lectures about proper behavior. 

They  _ loved _ going out for their own adventures too, around the Shire, the fields and even in the forest! Bungo often on their heels, keeping an eye to make sure they were safe, but giving them enough space for them to think they were on their own, normally staying half hidden until Bilbo would get scared of something and start crying screaming his name, it was hilarious if not by the way Billow would get frantic with worry for his older brother. 

~¤~

On their 10th anniversary Bungo broke tradition and gave their sons two little wooden swords, the two were pestering him for some time wanting to ‘start training to be as great as mother!’ and there was no way he could refuse such a request. Gandalf arriving early that month and staying with them for a while being the last straw, telling them even more impossibly adventurous and detailed stories about his travel with their mother while the little rascals couldn’t stop beaming at the old wizard and father in equal wonder, fueling their already rich imagination and making their request downright demanding.

He never expected the two would start training seriously with them.

~¤~

At their 20th birthday he gave them real swords, strapped with leather in their blades and hiding their true nature from the so easily scared (and judgmental) people of the Shire, but still allowing them to train with the real thing, just like Bella did. His sons loved of course, hugging him and kissing him until he was having difficulty breathing between fits of laughter, they loved the idea of ‘secret training’ and planned and plotted the new ways they could mislead the people of the Shire in thinking they were just playing something else.

This night the three of them slept in the living room close to the fire, Bungo in the middle and each son tucked in one of his arms, just like when they were little babies, it was warm, cozy and the three of them were happy, he knew. Bungo could remember only a few days as happy as that one, the day he met his wife, their marriage, when she told him she was pregnant… he missed her as much as the first day she was gone, but he loved his sons just as fiercely and for them, he would wait some more until meeting her again.

~¤~

And then, suddenly, on his sons’ 30th birthday winter came.

Nights got colder, the gentle snow falling didn’t stop and soon the green lands of the Shire turned white and the river froze, their food dwindled and people started to get sick.

To make things worse, the wolves appeared.

For Bungo’s utter despair his sons offered their help to fend off the beasts from their lands, unbeknownst to most that despite their young age they were masters of their blades. At first they were refused, of course, deemed too young for such a task, but words never stopped them and Bungo knew they would go with or without the other hobbits' approval, even hidden away if necessary. If he didn’t do something they would go alone and unprotected, and that could be even worse.

So once more, against everything he believed, he convinced the others to bring them with their party, even though some didn’t like it, he gave his sons his blessings and kissed each one in the brown, silently he cried while he saw the only reason he had to live walking away from him and into danger, just like his beloved wife used to do, he knew if she was still alive, she would be with them in this fight and then back, she always came back to him.

And then he waited, and then he prayed.

And his sons came back, just like Bella always did and all he could do was weep while hugging them both fiercely as if he would never let them go, barely hearing their comforting words and their own tears.

Miraculously no one died in the assault at the wolves’ pack and both Bilbo and Billow were deemed heros for their deeds, saving many lives while they fought, his swords being unsheathed and seeing light and blood for the first time, yet maneuvered as if they were intimate with battle. No hobbit looked at them judgingly anymore, no one complained about their now openly sword training, they were regarded with a little awe, a little fear, but loved by their peers nonetheless and Bungo couldn’t be prouder.

The winter has come and gone and despite his sons’ efforts to protect the Shire, some of the elderly and children died of sickness and cold, it was a hard time for everyone, but as everything in the world, even bad things come to pass and so did the Fell Winter.

Bungo could see that as his sons grew, they started showing more and more distinct characteristics, even though they were as always inseparable despite their differences. Bilbo resembled him in everything but appearance, he was the calmer of the two, always proper and preferred peace over violence, also having a passion for reading that rivaled his own. Billow was his splitting image when he was younger, but his personality was closer to Bella’s, he was brash and energetic and despite being a great lad he didn’t care much about propriety or what others in the Shire deemed right or wrong, he still went out in his own small adventures - now travels since he considered himself too old to pretend a trip to Bree was one, but he still went out of the Shire than most hobbits were comfortable with. Bilbo would often accompany him if only to keep an eye on his brother, sometimes complaining loudly until they were out of hearing distance and probably the whole trip, meanwhile Billow would just laugh and shake his head in amusement.

~¤~

More time passed and Billow joined the Rangers for everyone’s but Bungo and Bilbo’s surprise, he trained even harder and learned how to use the bow and how to hunt, sometimes bringing some of it for them to eat in their meals and sharing his day with his father and brother, Bilbo sometimes accompanying him mumbling under his breath about a reckless brother that couldn’t be trusted if left alone.

Bilbo started writing and found passion in creating new grand stories for his family and the ones in the Shire that liked to read, finding himself surrounded by fauntlings in many nights while reading them some new story that he had finished, and while Billow learned the bow, Bilbo learned Sindarin and Quenya and at their 40th birthday he had wrote as many books as Billow's had shoot arrows.

~¤~

Then without warning or preparation Bungo fell ill.

No one knew what it was, it came slowly, first he started feeling weak and light headed, but brushed it off as being the change of weather, then it continued and day by day he found himself in need of assistance of his sons, he could see how distressed they were and the worrying lines in their still young faces, he didn’t like them there, he wanted them to be happy, but no matter how strongly he fought his strength seemed determined to leave him, months had passed and then one day he simply couldn’t get up anymore, his skin grew paler, his grey hair grew more white and even breathing was hard.

His sons called every healer they heard of, from hobbit to Man, Billow was able to even bring a dwarf healer with him for Bungo’s surprise and amazement, even though he was weak he was able to muster a laugh at the sight of a dwarf in his Smial, Bella would have loved, he thought, if not by his circumstances. They tried everything they could, from teas, herbs, ointments, massages, the Man even tried elvish enchantments with Athelas in hopes they could find a cure, but his illness didn’t retreat no matter what they tried.

Their sons slept with him now, one at each side and when one had to get out of his room to do something or make them food the other would stay with him, rotating their shifts in silence in fear if they let him go even for a moment, as if he would disappear from their sights like a puff of smoke.

It hurt him, seeing his sons like that, but after so many months fighting this illness he started to feel some sort of peace regarding his end, deep down he suspected he was finally fading, seeing how his sons were grown and happy and able to take care of each other, he didn’t want to leave them like that, no parent did, but his soul ached for Bella so strongly that it was hard to not heed such call, it was near, he could feel it, but he wasn’t afraid anymore, he knew Bilbo and Billow would be fine despite everything and he trusted them both with all his heart.

“I’m sorry my children.” He said one sunny morning, his strength almost completely gone. “I’m sorry to leave you two so soon, but remember, I’m going in peace knowing how great you two turned out to be, I couldn’t ask for better sons, I’m proud of you two and I’m sure your mother is as well.” His voice was weak but filled with emotion, pouring into each word all of the love he felt for his sons. “Don’t worry about me, but with each other instead.” He whispered, Bilbo was crying silently while holding his left hand and Billow nodded slowly a pained expression on his face, eyes shining with unshed tears while holding the other one. “Go out in the world if you wish, have your adventures, your battles, it’s perfectly fine and I will love to hear all your tales when we meet again.” He said looking at Billow with a smile on his pale face. “Stay if you wish, if you prefer a life of calm and peace teaching and endearing children and adults alike, that’s as fine as any adventure you could have as well and I would love to know all the stories you have written out.” He said looking at Bilbo that was sobbing now, holding Bungo’s hand in his cheeks. “But never, ever forget each other, you are one another’s family, and all that’s will be left of true valor of me and your mother.” He took a deep breath, even talking was hard, tiresome now, but he needed to tell them one last time. “I love you both with all my heart…” Now both Bilbo and Billow were crying, his eldest sobbing loudly while his younger son made a strangled sound between his tears. “Take care of each other…”

And just like that Bungo Baggins left this world, a peaceful smile in his pale face.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed it! :)


End file.
